Fisker Automotive, as you might recall, received hundreds of millions of dollars in US taxpayer backed loans on the promise of manufacturing cars at a Delaware plant, and then promptly — assembled the first line of Gore-Mobiles at a factory in Finland.

Fisker Automotive, the struggling, government-backed hybrid sports car maker, terminated most of its rank-and-file employees on Friday, in a last-ditch effort to conserve cash and stave off a potential bankruptcy filing, sources said.

In a statement, Fisker confirmed that it let go about 75 percent of its workforce. The automaker said it was “a necessary strategic step in our efforts to maximize the value of Fisker’s core assets.”

After losing its driving force, Henrik Fisker, and 75 percent of its employees, Fisker Automotive takes another blow. The fired workers are accusing the automaker of not having notified them in advance, and are calling the company’s action illegal, bringing about a federal lawsuit. Their motivation for pursuing the legal way also probably stems from the fact that aside from being paid for their unused days off, there wasn’t a severance package in sight.

What Fisker is being charged with is, breaking rules set by both the federal WARN Act and California’s own WARN Act (Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification). The law states that employees need to be notified of impending contract terminations at least 60 days before it actually happens, so as to make the necessary arrangements and not be caught off-guard.

All that remains to be seen now is if the company Karma has enough juice to get Fisker to bankruptcy court.

At some locations you can now pick up a Fisker Karma for the super discounted price of $80,000. The car has a **lifetime warranty.